A/N: Updates will be slowing down over the next few days but you should, hopefully, still be getting one a day. Thanks for all the reviews and what not, you rock!

Chapter Eight

Bella thanked Jake for driving her to her hotel. He asked again if she was feeling okay, stating that she was still looking pale and peaky. She assured him she was fine and happily took his business card as he thrust it into her hand.

"In case you need me." He'd said.

She waved goodbye as he pulled away from the sidewalk and turned toward the hotel that was her home for the next few months.

She nodded shyly to the doorman and stepped inside, deciding that after her grueling first day, she'd hit the bar for a quick drink before retiring to her room for a hot bath and an early night with a very dog-eared book.

"A screwdriver, please," she requested of the barman as she took a seat on a stool. She opened her purse and pulled out her phone, placing it on the bar top. Her drink was placed on a napkin in front of her and she handed over some bills, telling him to keep the change.

She unlocked her phone with one hand, holding her drink in the other and as she took a sip, she scrolled through her recent calls list.

Charlie and Renee Swan – 13:46
Alice Brandon (8) – Yesterday
Rosalie Hale (2) – Yesterday

She continued to stare at the only three names listed there, her finger hovering over the clear button. Bella wasn't one to keep things on her phone for long. Her call history got wiped daily and her texts and emails were deleted instantly.

She didn't want to erase it this time. For a while, she just needed to see those names there to remind her that she wasn't alone, no matter how far from her friends and family she was.

"Orange juice?" A velvet voice drifted over from behind her. Her shoulders stiffened as she straightened her back, hastily locking her phone and shuffling it back into her purse.

"It's a screwdriver, actually."

He invited himself to sit beside her and Bella fought the urge to shift her stool away from him.

"Are you even old enough to drink, Bella?"

She frowned and turned a little toward him, looking into his deep green eyes.

He really was mesmerizing. It was no wonder he'd been named as one of GQ's 100 Sexiest Men for three years running. She tore her eyes away from him and returned her attention to her drink.

"Are you, Edward?" she murmured around the lip of her glass.

He laughed; a low, throaty sound. "Touché."

Bella smiled inwardly. She'd thought that had been quite witty of her too. He certainly acted like a child most of the time, especially toward members of the crew. She'd watched him throughout the day, treating everyone but Sam as if they were only there to answer to his every beck and call. He was a spoiled brat.

"What are you doing here, Edward?"

"I'm having a drink after a successful day's work. The same as you, I should guess."

She smiled a little as she allowed her eyes to wander back to his face.

"It was successful, wasn't it?" Her smile turned to a full on grin.

She was proud of herself. Sam was proud of her.

"You did so well today, Bella. Billy told me he'd found a rising star and I'll admit, I was a little dubious due to your lack of experience but you pulled through today. I don't know what you chose to think of to get through those scenes but whatever it was it must have been very distressing to you. So thank you for unleashing that pain for the benefit of the film. You made me very proud today and I see a bright future in front of you."

Edward arched a brow at her, one side of his mouth turning up into a lopsided grin. Back in the days when Bella had followed his career with her group of friends, they'd often referred to that as his panty dropping smirk, but Bella was finding it very difficult to find him sexy anymore.

He was attractive. She'd be lying if she said otherwise. But his attitude was a huge turn off to her.

She wondered briefly what Alice and Rose would say if they could hear her now.

"I said I was drinking to a successful day, as in my day was successful." He drained his glass. Bella wasn't sure what he'd had in it but it was an amber liquid, she presumed to be scotch. "Your performance, however, was mediocre at best. Admittedly your scenes this morning were impressive but you were a little lackluster this afternoon."

Anger raged inside her at his callous words. How dare he speak about her that way, he had no idea of the struggles she had faced just to get through the day. She stood rapidly from her stool, the legs scraping across the wooden floor as she gripped her glass tightly, moving her hand forward in a jerky movement, watching with satisfaction as her vodka and orange dripped down his face and onto his pristine, white, shirt. That would no doubt leave a stain.

"You're a Miva, Edward Cullen!" she shrieked as she placed her glass back down on the bar, collected her purse and stormed toward the bank of elevators.

Miva.

She was impressed with that one too, deciding that Diva didn't quite suit him.